Small Group Discussion Guide

"Faith Works By Love" — Pastor Mirek Hufton

1. SERMON RECAP

Pastor Mirek Hufton opened with Galatians 5:6, establishing that genuine faith is not a head belief but a heart conviction that must be activated and energized through the love of God. He drew a sharp distinction between phileo love, the natural human love that is self-centered and easily turns bitter, and agape love, the divine love poured into every believer's heart by the Holy Spirit at salvation. Pastor Mirek challenged the congregation that if faith is not producing results, the first place to look is the love walk, because faith simply cannot operate apart from God's love flowing freely through us toward others.

2. KEY SCRIPTURE

Galatians 5:6 (NKJV) "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love."

3. ICE BREAKER

Think of someone in your life who just seems to radiate warmth the moment they walk into a room. What is it about that person that makes you feel instantly welcomed and at ease?

4. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Question 1 — Understanding the Foundation Pastor Mirek pointed out that both faith and love share a common home: the human spirit, not the mind. He referenced Romans 10:9-10, which says belief happens in the heart, and Romans 5:5, which says the love of God has been poured out in our hearts. Why do you think God designed faith and love to operate together from the same place? What goes wrong when we treat faith as only a mental agreement with facts about God?

Question 2 — Phileo Versus Agape Pastor Mirek described phileo love as a love that ultimately circles back to self, one that can appear genuine on the surface but crumbles under pressure, turns bitter when offended, and can even become destructive. He contrasted that with agape love, which does not seek its own, is not provoked, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Where do you most clearly see the difference between these two kinds of love playing out in everyday relationships, whether at home, at work, or even in church?

Question 3 — Forgiveness as a Faith Issue Drawing from Mark 11:25, Pastor Mirek made the case that holding unforgiveness against anyone is not simply a relational problem but a faith problem, because Jesus directly connected forgiving others to whether our prayers would be answered. He shared his own story of taking a pie to a difficult neighbor after God convicted him that he had stepped out of love. How does it change the way you think about unforgiveness when you see it as something that can actually shut down the operation of your faith?

Question 4 — Emptying Yourself Pastor Mirek returned repeatedly to the image of Jesus emptying himself for others, using Philippians 2:5-7 as the backdrop, and he challenged the group that the recipe for loneliness and heaviness is simply living for yourself. He said the paradox Jesus taught is that you find your life by losing it. In practical terms, what does it look like to genuinely empty yourself for another person this week, not in a way that is draining or performance-based, but in a way that flows from the love of God already inside you?

Question 5 — Words and Actions as the Training Ground Pastor Mirek taught that the love of God grows in us through two consistent exercises: our words and our actions. He said even when we do not feel like being kind, we choose the kind word anyway; even when we do not feel like giving, we give anyway, and something in our heart is freed in the process. Can you think of a time when you acted in love before your emotions caught up, and describe what happened on the inside of you as a result?

Question 6 — The Church as an Oasis of Love He called on every person in the room, regardless of age, to look for the person standing at the edge, the newcomer holding to themselves, the one not in anyone's circle, and go out of their way to make that person feel seen. Referencing John 13:34-35, Pastor Mirek reminded the group that the watching world identifies believers not by their doctrine but by how they love one another. What is one honest barrier that keeps people in a church community from crossing the room to welcome someone they do not already know, and how can that barrier be overcome?

5. APPLICATION CHALLENGE

This week, identify one specific person toward whom it has been difficult to walk in love, whether due to past hurt, distance, or a quiet resentment that has simply been left unaddressed. Following the pattern Pastor Mirek described from Ephesians 4:32, choose one concrete act of kindness toward that person before the group meets again. It does not need to be dramatic. It might be a handwritten note, a phone call with no agenda, a small gift, or simply a genuine word of encouragement spoken to their face. Come back next week ready to share what you chose to do and what it cost you emotionally to do it.

6. PRAYER POINTS

• Pray that each group member would receive a fresh revelation of the agape love of God already poured into their hearts, and that they would learn to draw on it rather than defaulting to the reactions of phileo love when relationships become difficult.

• Pray specifically over any unforgiveness that may be silently blocking someone's faith, asking the Holy Spirit to bring those things gently to the surface so they can be released, and trusting that God is faithful to meet every need once that blockage is cleared.

• Pray for this church community to genuinely become the oasis of love Pastor Mirek described, one where no person stands at the edge unnoticed, and where the love flowing between members becomes a visible testimony to the surrounding neighborhood and city.

7. MEMORY VERSE

Galatians 5:6 (Amplified Bible) "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love, faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love."

Leader note: Give group members a moment at the close of your time together to write down the name of the one person they are committing to show love to this week. Keeping it private between them and God is fine, but the act of writing it down makes the commitment concrete. Open your final prayer by thanking God that his love is not something we have to manufacture but something already living inside every believer, waiting to be released.